"England haven't lost the Ashes because of two wet days in Manchester" - Steve Harmison blasts reserve day suggestions after drawn 4th Ashes Test
Former England pacer Steve Harmison rubbished the idea of a reserve day in Test cricket after Australia retained the Ashes courtesy of a washed-out Day 5 of the fourth Test at Manchester.
England put themselves in pole position to level the series by capturing a 275-run first-innings lead and having Australia on the mat at 214/5 in their second essay at stumps on Day 4. However, heavy showers meant no play was possible on the final day, resulting in the match ending in a draw.
Speaking on talkSPORT's Following On Cricket Podcast, Harmison slammed the suggestions for a reserve day in Test cricket.
"Honestly I can't get my head around some of the stuff that's come out, I can't get my head around some of the people who have said 'I think we should have a reserve day. The game lasts five days, an Ashes series is over five test matches. England haven't lost the Ashes because of two wet days in Manchester," he said.
Instead, the 44-year-old blamed the hosts for their mistakes in the opening two Tests as the primary reason for the Ashes defeat.
"England have lost the Ashes because they've made a mess of what happened in Test match one and Test match two, with mistakes they've made," he added.
England squandered several opportunities in the opening two games at Edgbaston and Lord's to lose by two wickets and 43 runs, respectively.
The washout on Day 5 and only 30 overs on Day 4 of the fourth Test meant that the Aussies retained the Ashes for a third consecutive time.
"Now we want to make it six, this is just madness" - Steve Harmison
Steve Harmision added that the same England team under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes called for four-day Tests when they dominated teams with their Bazball approach.
Before the ongoing Ashes series, England had won 11 of their first 13 Tests under the McCullum-Stokes partnership, adopting a high-risk-high-reward batting approach.
"Saying that there should be a reserve day, even in Ashes cricket, I think is ridiculous. Not long ago (coach) Brendon McCullum and (captain) Ben Stokes came into this Test match arena (and) blew the doors off and within three, four Test matches were asking for four day Test matches ... now we want to make it six, this is just madness," said Harmison.
The retired pacer further said that the hosts continue looking for external reasons when they go down in an Ashes series.
"We lose the Ashes and it's county cricket's fault, we lose the Ashes and it's the Duke ball or the Kookaburra ball's fault, now we're extending Test matches because we had two days of rain," concluded Harmison.
Despite the hopes of winning the Ashes urn being buried, England has the proud history of not losing a home Ashes series since 2001 to protect in the final Test. The climax of the enthralling 2023 series between cricket's oldest rivals begins at the Oval on Thursday, July 27.